Hailing from Singapore, indie quartet Cheating Sons play a unique brand of Americana-infused indie rock, rife with lush instrumentation and well-arranged vocal harmonies.

Already a mainstay in Singapore’s nascent indie scene, Cheating Sons released their debut LP Masters, Wives, Daughter in January 2011, earning rave reviews locally, and are now in the midst of their first ever Asian tour.

In advance of the China leg of their current tour, which sees the band stopping though Yuyintang on Wednesday, September 28th, and playing a pair encore acoustic sets at Anar and LOgO before shipping off to the Zhenjiang Strawberry Festival, Cheating Sons’ frontman Renyi Wang indulged City Weekend readers in a quick “8 Questions with . . . “

City Weekend: How would you describe Cheating Sons sound? Who are your biggest influences?

Renyi Wang: I hope we sound like Rock 'n' Roll from the 50s, 60s, 70s, back when it was important. There's a bit of everything in our tunes - a bit of country, a bit of folk, a bit of Sabbath, a bit of Psyche. We grew up on Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Springsteen, Sam Cooke etc, so I'm pretty sure there's a bit of all of them in our record.

CW: When and how did Cheating Sons form?

RW: We formed in late 2008. I had written some tunes that didn't sound like anything else back in Singapore. Nobody was really playing anything close to roots music. The rest of the guys are old friends, new mates, strangers, but the pieces came together and we all could connect over the music. We forged a bond over developing the tunes and here we are.

CW: What's the rock scene like in Singapore? How does Cheating Sons stack up against other local bands?

RW: There is no mainstream Singaporean English music back home. We've all been marginalized by foreign pop music that's a global commercial engine. However, the local scene is growing. More musicians are gifting their music and art and it's a common hope of all musicians for our art to be embraced. We provide the narrative and roots and rock 'n' roll back home.

CW: What are your thoughts on playing China? What are your goals for these shows in China?

RW: We are thrilled to play in China! It takes up quite a bit of space on the map so there must be a tremendous amount of talent in the music scene. We hope to meet many wonderful musicians and people when we play in China and find out more about the music scene. Of course, we hope to spread our music to your shores and move people with our tunes.

CW: What have you heard about rock in China? Are you familiar with any Chinese bands?

RW: I've heard that there's quite a big and talented scene in China. We caught a couple of bands when they came to Singapore earlier in the year to play at the Music Matters conference. Carsick Cars and AV Okubo really left an impression and we're looking forward to catching more Chinese bands during our visit.

CW: So far what have been the musical highlights for Cheating Sons?

RW: Releasing our record for sure. The fact that we got it made and launched it at a brilliant stage facing the Bay back home has to be the highlight of the year. The good reviews also sweetened the plate! I guess seeing how we've grown as a band and musicians is also very heartening. And nothing beats winning over new fans!

CW: You released Masters, Wives, Daughter in January. Can you tell us a little bit about the album?

RW: The album is chock full of varied instrumentation (banjos, ukuleles, lap steels, etc.) which will hopefully excite and enthrall! It's also full of tales, many of them supporting the main theme that runs through the record which is how all that glitters is not always gold. It's hard being a musician in Singapore. It's hard doing something off-tangent from the mainstream, which I'm sure is the case in China as well. There is so much focus on material and power, status and masks, that makes no sense to me. So we decided to make music about our discontent!

The album was recorded at Wallwork Studios in Singapore and produced by us and our brother Nick Chan, and mastered by Matthew Gray in Australia.

CW: You also released a single in June. How did the earlier recording experience help the band as you recorded Cirque de l'esclave? How do the two recordings vary sonically?

Cirque de l'esclave consists entirely of vocals (i.e. A cappella). Recording focused very much on the vocals alone and the locations involved to get the desired effect. Recording our album was a lot more complex given that there are many elements that intertwine. A lot more considerations and variables have to be considered (e.g. instrumentation, arrangement etc) and the process is a lot more detailed.

CW: What can Chinese fans expect from your upcoming shows?

RW: We don't hold back when we play gigs, so we'll be bringing the whole arsenal of instruments to China. Fans can expect exciting instrumentation and songs that will hopefully stick with them until our next record!

DETAILS

What: Cheating Sons China Tour

When: Wednesday Sep 28th | 9pm

Where: Yuyintang